Brandon Laird

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Matt Barnes caught the ball with an angry snatch, a loud pop. The runner had stolen second, reached third on an error, and was dusting himself off there as Barnes smoldered.

The 91 mph fastball had worked for Barnes the first three innings, but not now.

"In situations like that, when I need more, I can go and get more," Barnes says. "They haven't seen it. I'm trying to make the fastball play like two different pitches."

So now, Barnes, 6 feet 4 and 205 pounds, was throwing 95 and 96 mph, and he blew third strikes past Tyler Moore, Brandon Laird and Greg Dobbs, the middle of the Syracuse lineup. The latter two batters have...

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PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Matt Barnes caught the ball with an angry snatch, a loud pop. The runner had stolen second, reached third on an error, and was dusting himself off there as Barnes smoldered.
The 91 mph fastball had worked for Barnes the first three...